Integrated data reader and electronic article surveillance (EAS) system

ABSTRACT

An integrated data reader and electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, and methods of operation. Several configurations are also disclosed for alternate deactivation coil designs and mounting schemes.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/619,538filed Nov. 16, 2009, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.11/351,310 filed Feb. 8, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,619,527 which claimspriority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/651,058 filed Feb. 8,2005, each of these applications being hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The field of the present invention relates to data reading systems andelectronic article security (EAS) systems. In particular, varioussystems and methods are described herein for integrating an EAS systeminto a data reading system such as a barcode scanner.

In both retail checkout and inventory control environments, items aretypically provided with readable tags or labels such as bar codes orRFID tags. Data reading devices such as barcode scanners and RFIDreaders are provided at the checkout stay on to read the codes or tagsand obtain the data contained therein. The data may be used to identifythe article, its price, and other characteristics or information relatedto checkout or inventory control. These data readers automate theinformation retrieval to facilitate and speed the checkout process. Thusdata readers such as bar code scanners are pervasive at retail checkout.

Scanners generally come in three types: (a) handheld, such as thePowerScan™ scanner, (b) fixed and installed in the countertop such asthe Magellan® scanner, or (c) a hybrid scanner such as the Duet® scannerusable in either a handheld or fixed mode. Each of these scanners ismanufactured by PSC Inc. of Eugene, Oreg. In a typical operation, retailclerk uses either a handheld scanner to read the barcode symbols on thearticles one at a time or passes the articles through the scan field ofthe fixed scanner one at a time. The clerk then places the articles intoa shopping bag or other suitable container.

Though barcodes provide for rapid and accurate item identification atcheckout, the bar codes do not provide for item security against theft.Electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems have employed eitherreusable EAS tags or disposable EAS tags to monitor articles to preventshoplifting and unauthorized removal of articles from store. ReusableEAS tags are normally removed from the articles before the customerexits the store. Disposable EAS tags are generally attached to thepackaging by adhesives or are disposed inside item packaging. These tagsremain with the articles and must be deactivated before they are removedfrom the store by the customer.

There are several types of deactivation systems including magnetic,radio frequency (RF), and microwave. These systems have differentstructural designs and different operational characteristic. By way ofexample, magnetic deactivation devices use coils which are energized togenerate a magnetic field of sufficient magnitude to render the EAS taginactive. In another example, an RF system uses a wire loop antenna togenerate an RF signal whereby an RF-based security tag receives thesignal and deactivates in response thereto.

In any of the EAS systems, once deactivated, the tags are no longerresponsive to the detection systems, the detection system typicallybeing located at the store exits, so that an alarm is not triggered.

Some retail establishments having high volumes find it desirable toexpedite and facilitate the checkout process including the scanning ofthe bar code data and the deactivation of the EAS tags. In the typicalpoint of sale (POS) location such as the checkout counter of a retailcheckout station, counter space is limited. In one RF-based system, anEAS deactivation wire loop is disposed around the horizontal scan windowof a two-window “L” shaped scanner such as the Magellan® scanner. Insuch a system, barcode scanning and EAS tag deactivation presumably areaccomplished over the same scan volume. Another system is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,783,072 which discloses, among other things, variousembodiments of a magnetic-based EAS deactivation system integrated intoa two-window “L” shaped scanner.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments disclosed herein are directed to integrated datareader and EAS systems, methods of operation, deactivation coil designs,and arrangements and mounting schemes. In a preferred configuration, adata reader such as a barcode scanner is equipped with one or more EASdeactivation modules disposed behind the scanner surface and arranged togenerate a deactivation field of a desired orientation to deactivate EAStags on items as they are passed through the scan field defined by thescanner window(s) of the data reader.

Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, whichproceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a combined data reader and EAS systemaccording to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a combined data reader and EAS system accordingto a preferred embodiment, shown with the weigh platter removed.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the combined data reader and EAS system of FIG.2 with the top bonnet removed.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the combined data reader and EAS system of FIG.2 illustrating placement and details of the horizontal coil unit.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the horizontal coil unit from thecombined data reader and EAS system of FIGS. 2-4 removed from thesystem.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vertical coil unit from the combineddata reader and EAS system of FIGS. 2-4 removed from the system.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the vertical coil unit of FIG. 6unwrapped with the internal coils exposed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the vertical coil unit of FIGS. 6-7 withthe wrapped coils coated.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an alternate coil unit.

FIG. 10 is a front plan view of the coil unit of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the coil unit of FIG. 10 takenalong line 11-11.

FIG. 12 is a detailed view of the windings of the coil unit of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of an alternate coil unit.

FIG. 14 is a front plan view of the coil unit of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the coil unit of FIG. 14 takenalong line 14-14.

FIG. 16 is a detailed view of the windings of the coil unit of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of an alternate coil unit.

FIG. 18 is a front plan view of the coil unit of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the coil unit of FIG. 18 takenalong line 19-19.

FIG. 20 is a detailed view of the windings of the coil unit of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is an isometric view of an alternate coil unit.

FIG. 22 is a front plan view of the coil unit of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the coil unit of FIG. 22 takenalong line 23-23.

FIG. 24 is a detailed view of the windings of the coil unit of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a top view of a combined data reader and EAS system accordingto an alternate embodiment, shown with the weigh platter removed.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the horizontal coil unit from thecombined data reader and EAS system of FIG. 25 removed from the system.

FIG. 27 is a detailed perspective view of a corner of the horizontalcoil unit of FIG. 26 unwrapped with the internal windings exposed.

FIG. 28 is a top perspective view of a combined data reader and EASsystem according to another alternate embodiment with the weigh platterremoved.

FIG. 29 is another perspective view of the combined data reader and EASsystem of FIG. 28 with the horizontal coil unit in its operatingposition.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the system of FIGS. 28-29 with thehorizontal coil unit shown pivoted to a second position.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a combined data reader and EAS systemaccording to another alternate embodiment with a vertical deactivationunit disposed in an external position.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a combined data reader and EAS systemaccording to another alternate embodiment with a vertical deactivationunit mounted to a rear surface of the removable weigh platter.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a combined data reader and EAS systemaccording to another alternate embodiment with a horizontal deactivationunit mounted to an underside of the removable weigh platter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the drawings. To facilitate description, any referencenumeral representing an element in one figure will represent the sameelement in any other figure.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a system 5 comprised of an EAScontroller 10 and a combined data reader and EAS deactivation system 15.The combined data reader and EAS system 15 includes a lower housingsection 20 and an upper housing section 40. A horizontal EASdeactivation unit 50 is mounted within the lower housing section 20 andthe upper or vertical EAS deactivation unit 52 is mounted within theupper housing section 40. Each of the deactivation coil units 50, 52 isconnected to the controller 10 which either may be integrated into thedata reader housing or may comprise a separated component connected viaa cable.

FIGS. 2-8 illustrate details of such a system 5 according to a firstpreferred embodiment. System 5 includes an external controller 10connected via a cable 11 to a combined EAS and data reader system 15.System 15 includes an outer housing or frame 12 with a lower housingsection 20 containing a horizontal window 22 and an upper housingsection 40 containing a vertical window 42.

The system 15 is illustrated with a scale system disposed within thelower housing section for supporting a weigh platter. The weigh platteris not shown in FIGS. 2-4 as it has been removed to allow internalcomponents of the system 15 to be visible in the figures. The weighplatter may comprise a single plane, or may comprise multiple planes asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,708 hereby incorporated by referencewhere the system comprises a scanner-scale having a two-plane orvertical plane scanner. Although the system 15 is illustrated as atwo-plane scanner with a horizontal window 22 and a vertical window 42,the system may alternatively comprise a single window, either a singlehorizontal window (such a horizontal scanner) or a single verticalwindow (such as a vertical scanner).

The scanner itself may be of any suitable configuration. As viewed inthe figure, the scanner includes a facet wheel 23 disposed in the lowerhousing section. The illustrated embodiment for the scanner may comprisea Magellan 9500 dual plane scanner available from PSC Inc. of Eugene,Oreg.

In embodiments where the scanner 15 includes a weigh scale, the lowermagnetic coil unit 50 must not only not interfere with the scanneroptics being passed out from the lower scan section 24 but must also bedisposed so as not to interfere with the scale system. In thisembodiment, the scale system includes a spider 90 of a U-shapedconstruction, with the central portion 92 disposed over a load cell 91,and a first lateral extension 94 disposed at a front or checker side ofthe weigh platter, and a second lateral extension 96 disposed at therear of the weigh platter adjacent to the upper housing section 40. Theweigh platter is suspended on top of the U-shaped spider 90 viapositioners such as height adjustment bolts 95 a, 95 b, 95 c, 95 d.

FIG. 3 illustrates the system 15 with the bonnet of the upper housingsection 40 removed exposing the upper coil 52. The upper coil 52 ismounted to the frame of the unit 15 via upper coil mounts 46, whichsupport the upper coil unit 52 in a secure vertical orientation behindthe vertical window 42. Similar to the lower coil unit 50, the uppercoil unit 52 is configured so as to provide a large enough opening so asnot to interfere with the scan pattern corning out of the upper scansection 44.

FIG. 5 illustrates a preferred configuration for the horizontal coilunit 50. FIGS. 6-7 illustrate preferred configuration for the upper coilunit 52. As viewed in the figures, each of the coil units 50, 52 is anair core magnetic coil assembly of a generally rectangular shape, therectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the windows of thescanner. The coil units 50, 52 have been optimized to minimize the spacerequired for the units and to minimize impact on scanner performance,that is to avoid interference with the scan pattern generation and thevolume of the inner scan housings desired to generate the desired scanpatterns. The shape is also designed to avoid interference with thescale systems previously described.

In a preferred configuration, the coil units 50, 52 are comprised ofwindings composed of a single wire of on the order of 50 turns as bestshown in FIG. 7, which illustrates the vertical coil unit 52 with theinternal coils exposed. The figure also illustrates the two ends of thesingle wire that forms the windings. In one configuration, the verticalcoil unit 52 has 50 turns and the horizontal coil unit has 54 turns.

The controller 10 is connected to both the vertical coil unit 52 and thehorizontal coil unit 50. The vertical coil unit 52 surrounds thevertical scanner window 42 and likewise the horizontal coil unit 50surrounds the horizontal scanner window 22. In order to maximize spaceconstraints for the scanner components and not interfere with scanneroperation, the vertical coil unit 52 may be formed with a beveledprofile to allow sufficient coil volume while not blocking the scanlines exiting through the vertical window 42 of the scanner. Thehorizontal coil unit 50 may also have a beveled profile so as to provideadditional room for scan beams exiting the horizontal window 22.

The geometry of the coil units may best be explained when referring to across-section. The inner side of the coil unit is beveled or angled,thus creating a cross-sectional shape rather than rectangular to betterapproximate a trapezoid or triangle. Thus the outermost inner edge ofthe coil unit is recessed radially outward so as to better accommodateexiting scan beams passing through the central portion of the coil unit.

In operation, each of the coil units provides for both detection(transmitting the magnetic field to excite the labels and then receivinga return signal from the label) and deactivation (sending a deactivationpulse to deactivate the label). In a preferred control method, thecontroller 10 may detect which coil is best suited for deactivation andthen only energize the appropriate coil. For example, if the verticalcoil unit 52 is the one that detects (or best detects with the strongestreturn signal), then the controller 10 would determine that the verticalcoil unit 42 is best suited for deactivation and then only energizesvertical coil unit 52 to deactivate the EAS tag.

In a preferred construction, the coil units are formed by winding thebare wire the appropriate number of turns (see for example FIG. 7) withthe wound coils formed in the desired cross-sectional geometry. Thecoils may then be wrapped with a suitable insulated tape such asillustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. In a preferred construction, the coil unitsuch as in FIG. 7 would be dip coated such as with a liquid form ofpolyvinyl chloride (PVC) generally known as plastisol such as the coilillustrated in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 9-12 illustrate an alternate embodiment for a coil unit which maybe particularly suitable for the vertical plane but may also be useablein the horizontal plane. As showed by the details of the cross-sectionof FIGS. 11 and 12, the coils 112 are arranged with a trapezoidalcross-section formed with a bevel 114 on one side thereof. The windingsor turns of the copper wire are arranged such that there are five rowson the outward side of the coil and nine rows of wire turns on theinward side of the coil. The beveled side 114 permits exit of scan linesout the window (the scan lines would be passing from right to left asviewed in FIGS. 11-12). In the particular winding configuration, thecoil unit is formed with nine rows on the inside tapering down to fiverows on the outside and with an eight-layer (four over four) width.

FIGS. 13-16 illustrate another alternative construction for a coil unit120 useable in either a vertical or horizontal application. Coil unit120 has approximately 56 complete turns and is shown in the detail ofFIG. 16 and has the windings or turns 122 arranged with a beveled side124 formed of a similar trapezoidal shape as in the previous embodimentwith one side somewhat rounded by the addition of five additional turns126. The coil unit 120 thus has nine rows on the upstream side and sixrows on the downstream side and a seven-layer width (3/4 layers or threelayers over four layers).

Although the non-rectangular, non-squared geometry of the coil unitsprovides for certain benefits, rectangular units may provide sufficientgeometric qualifications and tend to be more easily manufactured. FIGS.17-20 illustrate another embodiment for a horizontal coil unit 130(which may also be used as a vertical coil unit). Coil unit 130 has 54windings or turns 132 arranged in 13/14 layers (13 layers over 14layers) as shown in the detailed cross-section of FIG. 20. The coil unit130 thus presents a fairly elongated rectangular shape in cross-sectionas viewed in FIG. 20 including about 54 complete turns arranged in fourrows by 13/14 layers.

FIGS. 21-24 illustrate another embodiment for a coil unit 140 of agenerally rectangular shape as viewed in FIGS. 21-22. As shown in thedetailed cross-sections of FIGS. 23-24, the cross-sectional shape of thecoil unit 140 is closer to square comprising nine rows by 5/6 layers fora total of approximately 50 turns 142.

FIGS. 25-27 illustrate another combined EAS and data reading system 205.The system 205 includes a data reader 215, this embodiment shown as adual plane L-shaped barcode scanner, and a controller 210 connected tothe data reader 215 via cable 211. The data reader 215 is illustrated inthe figure as a scanner scale shown with its two-plane weigh platter 216removed, a portion of the platter 216 being visible in the right side ofthe figure. The weigh platter 216 is supported by posts 295 a, 295 b,295 c, 295 d. The posts 295 a-c extend to a bottom of the scannerhousing 212 and are attached to a spider (not shown) which in turn isconnected to and supported upon a load cell.

Disposed with the scanner 215 are a horizontal coil unit 250 surroundingthe lower scan window 222 and an upper or vertical coil unit 252disposed approximate the upper scan window 242.

FIG. 26 illustrates details of the lower horizontal coil 250 with thewindings wrapped. FIG. 27 illustrates the actual coil windings beforewrapping or coating as would typically be implemented duringmanufacture.

It is noted that the upper coil unit 252 is mounted external to theupper scan window 242 but would nonetheless be behind the verticalwindow 217 in the two-plane weigh platter 216 when the platter isdisposed in position on the scanner 215.

FIGS. 28-30 illustrate an alternative embodiment for a combined EASdeactivation system and data reader 315 particularly showing analternate mounting scheme for the horizontal coil unit 350. The datareader 315 is an L-shaped two-plane optical scanner such as the Magellan9500 and illustrated with the two-plane weigh platter (known as theALL-WEIGHS® platter) removed. The horizontal coil unit 350 is mountedeither around or adjacent the horizontal window 322 of the lower scansection 320. The horizontal coil unit 350 is mounted by a pair of hingemounting brackets 360, 362 which are in turn mounted to the chassis orouter housing 312. When in position, the coil unit 350 is nested withinthe U-shaped spider assembly 390 of the scale. The spider assembly 390includes a central section 392 which is in turn mounted onto the loadcell 391. Scale arms 394, 396 extend outward from the central section392 to form a U-shape. In combination, the scale arms 396 and centralsection 392 provide support for the weigh platter.

The hinge mounting bracket 360 includes a hinge section 361 and thehinge mounting bracket 362 includes a hinge section 363 which permitspivoting of the horizontal coil unit 350 from the horizontal position asin FIGS. 28 and 29 upwardly and outwardly as illustrated in FIG. 30.Such a pivoting location allows for easy access for installation and/orrepair of internal components. The pivoting coil unit 350 when in thepivoted condition also provides access to scale components such as theload cell cover door 397, the scale calibration button access door 398and the security locking tab 399 as well as the surrounding areas whichare preferably readily accessible when the scale is tested forcalibration, locked, and sealed by an authorized weighs and measuresinspector or serviced and recalibrated by a service technician. It alsomay be useful to pivot the horizontal deactivation coil 350 out ofposition to allow cleaning of components.

With the horizontal deactivation coil 350 mounted on the hinge brackets,the coil 350 may be temporarily and easily repositioned out of the wayof the load cell area without the removal of mounting hardware orbrackets which would otherwise require removing screws or otherfasteners. The hinge brackets 360, 362 provide a simple, repeatablerepositioning mechanism that allows the horizontal coil unit 350 to beplaced in the desired operating position, yet readily moved to allow thedesirable access. This hinged repositioning movement of the horizontaldeactivation coil unit 350 and does not require a service technician,requiring no tools or removal of any hardware.

It is noted that the second scale arm 394 visible in FIG. 28 has beenremoved in FIGS. 29 and 30 to allow components to be more readilyvisible in these figures.

FIG. 31 illustrates another combined EAS deactivation system and datareader 415 similar to previous embodiments but including an alternatemounting scheme for the vertical deactivation coil 452. The verticaldeactivation coil 452 is mounted external to the vertical window 442,such as by brackets along the periphery thereof. The vertical coil unit452 is mounted in position external to the upper bonnet 440. The coilunit may either be mounted directly to the bonnet or to suitablebrackets. Alternately, if the system 415 is equipped with a two-planecover 417 or if it is a scanner scale with a two-plane weigh platter,the coil unit 452 may be mounted to the cover via a suitable attachmentmechanism as described below in another embodiment.

By mounting the deactivation coil 452 outside of the optical cavity, itplaces the coil as close to the scanning area as possible and thusincreasing the performance of the EAS deactivation. External mountingalso allows the geometry of the coil to be large enough to avoid opticalinterference of the scan pattern being passed out through the window andthrough the central cavity of the coil unit 452.

FIG. 32 illustrates another alternate combined EAS deactivation systemand data reader 515. In this system, the data reader is equipped with atwo-plane cover 517 similar to the ALL-WEIGHS® platter available fromPSC Inc. of Eugene, Oreg. The cover 517 may merely be a cover over ascanner or may alternately comprise the weigh platter for ascanner-scale. The cover section 517 is positionable onto the mainsection 520. The upper coil section 552 is mounted to a backside of thevertical section 518 of the two-plane cover 517 by a suitable mechanism.For example, the deactivation coil unit 552 may be mechanically fastenedto the platter 517 via a bracket or bolts or it may be molded orotherwise formed into the platter structure itself.

By mounting the deactivation coil unit 552 into the vertical side of theremovable platter 517 it becomes more fully integrated as part of thescanner. Having the coil unit 552 built into the platter places the coilin close proximity to the scanning area and thus increasing performanceof EAS deactivation. The mounting method may insure more safety fromelectrical shock by enclosing the high voltage coil in the platter. Bymounting the vertical deactivation coil unit 552 to the platter, moreaccurate and repeatable positioning of the coil after the platter hasbeen removed and then returned to a normal operating position can beachieved. Mounting to the platter also simplifies the mountingmechanisms as compared to other mounting schemes. Where the platter 517is merely a cover in a non-scale scanner, the platter is free fromrestriction of adding weigh and electrical wires to the platter assemblyas would be encountered in a scanner scale. Thus, this mounting schememay not be preferred for the scanner scale configuration, but wouldnonetheless be a feasible option.

FIG. 33 illustrates another combination EAS deactivation system and datareader 615. The system includes a two-plane scanner 620 upon which isdisposed a two-plane cover or weigh platter 617. The horizontal coilunit 650 is mounted to an underside of the horizontal section of thetwo-plane platter 617. Having the coil built into the removable platterplaces the coil in close proximity to the scanning area thus increasingEAS deactivation performance. This mounting is similar to the verticalcoil mount of the previous embodiment and may also insure for moresafety from electrical shock by enclosing the high voltage coil in theplatter. The location also ensures accurate and repeatable repositioningof the horizontal deactivation coil unit 350 after it has been removedand then returned to normal operating position. Mounting the horizontaldeactivation coil unit 650 to the platter 617 provides for a simplifiedassembly. When the coil unit 650 is mounted to a platter in a non-scalescanner, the platter 617 would be free of the restriction of addingweigh and electrical wires to the platter assembly. Further mounting thecoil to the platter would take advantage of the any free space left bythe absence of the scale in the non-scale scanner version.

Alternately the embodiments of the horizontal coil unit 650 mounted tothe underside of the platter 617 may be combined with the vertical coilunit 552 being mounted to the back of the vertical section of theplatter 518 of the previous embodiment. These mounting positions alsoprovide for ready access to the coil units for service and repair.

The systems disclosed may alternately comprise not only EAS deactivationunits, but also activation units or combined activation/deactivationunits usable with activatable EAS tags. In addition, the EAS tagdeactivators/activators described may include deactivation or activationof various types of EAS tags such as magnetoacoustic, magnetomechanical,magnetostrictive, RF (e.g. RFID), microwave, and harmonic type tags.Moreover, in each of the above embodiments, the deactivation units maycomprise coil units with or without internal (magnetically active) core.For example, deactivation coils without internal core are described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,917,412 incorporated by reference. The deactivationunits of the above embodiments may be controlled and operated by anysuitable scheme as known by one skilled in the art, including but notlimited to those schemes disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,412;6,281,796; 6,169,483; and 5,059,951 hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

In the various embodiments described above, the data reader unit hasbeen generally described as a two window L-shaped bar code scanner, butother types of data readers may be combined with the EASdeactivation/activation system. The data reader may be for example alaser bar code scanner, an imaging reader, or other type of reader forreading optical codes, reading tags, or otherwise identifying itemsdisposed in a scan/read zone of the data reader unit. The data readersmay comprise: a handheld reader; a fixed reader typically in thecheckout countertop; or a hybrid reader usable in either a handheld orfixed mode.

Thus the present invention has been set forth in the form of itspreferred embodiments. It is nevertheless intended that modifications tothe disclosed scanning systems may be made by those skilled in the artwithout altering the essential inventive concepts set forth herein.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope ofthe present invention should, therefore, be determined only by thefollowing claims.

1. An apparatus for use at point of sale, comprising an optical datareader having at least one window through which the optical data readerreads items in a scan volume; a deactivator for deactivating electronicarticle surveillance (EAS) tags, said deactivator having at least onemagnetic deactivation coil unit arranged to avoid interference withoperation of the optical data reader, wherein the deactivation coil unitcomprises a plurality of windings disposed around a central openingwithout a solid core, the deactivation coil unit positioned to permitthe data reader to form a read path through the central opening into thescan volume, wherein the windings of the deactivation coil unit arearranged with a cross-sectional geometry that avoids blocking thereading path of the data reader through the central opening.
 2. Anapparatus according to claim 1 wherein the optical data reader comprisesa housing with a lower section having a substantially horizontal windowand an upper section having a substantially vertical window, thedeactivator including at least first and second magnetic deactivationcoil units, the first magnetic deactivation coil unit comprising aplurality of windings disposed around a central opening without a solidcore, the first deactivation coil unit positioned proximate thehorizontal window forming a first read path through the central openingand through the horizontal window to the scan volume, the secondmagnetic deactivation coil unit comprising a plurality of windingsdisposed around a central opening without a solid core, the seconddeactivation coil unit positioned proximate the vertical window forminga second read path through the central opening and through the verticalwindow to the scan volume.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 whereinthe windings are arranged in a cross-sectional profile selected from thegroup consisting of: non-rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal.
 4. Anapparatus for use at point of sale, comprising a housing; an opticaldata reader disposed in the housing and having a window through whichthe optical data reader reads optical tags disposed in a read volume; adeactivator for deactivating electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags,said deactivator having at least a first magnetic deactivation coil unitdisposed in or outside the housing proximate the first window, whereinthe first deactivation coil unit comprises a plurality of windingsdisposed around a central opening without a solid core, the firstdeactivation coil unit positioned to permit the data reader to form aread path through the central opening and into the read volume.
 5. Anapparatus according to claim 4 wherein the windings of the firstdeactivation coil unit are arranged with a cross-sectional geometry thatavoids blocking the reading path of the data reader through the centralopening.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the windings ofthe first deactivation coil unit are arranged having a cross-sectionalgeometry with a beveled profile along the central opening.
 7. Anapparatus according to claim 4 wherein the windings of the firstdeactivation coil unit are arranged to form a beveled profile along aninside surface thereof adjacent the central opening such that a diameterof the central opening proximate the optical data reader is smaller thana diameter of the central opening distal the optical data reader.
 8. Anapparatus according to claim 4 wherein the magnetic coil unit isconfigured in a generally rectangular configuration arranged around thecentral opening.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein thewindings are arranged in a cross-sectional profile selected from thegroup consisting of: non-rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal.
 10. Anapparatus according to claim 4 wherein the optical data reader comprisesan L-shaped two-plane optical scanner.